Nick Smith Jr. knew it was time to shine when the calendar hit March during his freshman year at Arkansas. After battling various injuries throughout the year, Smith Jr. was sure to take the court during the highly anticipated March Madness. The Razorbacks entered the tournament as the number eight seed. After making the Elite-8 in back to back years they were looking to string together another successful tournament run. In the Sweet-16, Arkansas found themselves squaring off against the tournament winners, UConn. Smith Jr. emptied the tank scoring 11 points along with two rebounds. His efforts were not enough as the Razorbacks fell to the Huskies 88-65.  Smith Jr.’s time with Arkansas was short but he made the most of it as he gained the attention of many NBA teams.

This NCAA Wilson official game basketball is autographed by Nick Smith Jr. Smith’s signature was witnessed by an Upper Deck representative as part of UDA’s 5-step authentication process.